The weather is supposed to drop to below freezing tonight. And I was greeted by a sign in the building's lobby saying that due to boiler repairs tomorrow, they're turning it off at midnight.

When I started my job, both my boss (the owner) and my manager told me that certain drinks I could, and should, comp. Like the people that own the bar next door. They get free drinks here, we get free drinks there. Everyone goes home happy. I'd have been fine with charging everybody for everything, but I was instructed to comp, with grace and discretion, which I do. Today he tells me to stop comping, "cuz it's gonna' be a bad month." In his patented, weird, did-he-just-say-something-to-me? way.

Anyone have any experience doing this gracefully? I know, I could just say he said to do it, but I'd like to steal someone else's witticisms, if I could.

Thanks.

Two new sweaters of mine that were perfectly fine in the store have now decided to shed. I'm hoping that getting them dry cleaned will "set" them.

I recently picked up a menu from Tebaya, the Japanese chicken wing place on 19th off 7th Ave.--it's a bright, clean little place and the staff were very friendly. Intrigued by the description of the garlic and sesame seasoned wings and inspired by last night's chill I called them and placed an order. The man on the other end of the phone was pleasant but his English wasn't great so I carefully pronounced and repeated my address and gave my number.

Twenty minutes later the phone rings--the hapless delivery person is on 20th street, not 20-something, where I live. I repeat my address. The poor guy calls again 10 minutes later,profusely apologizing--he's on 15th!! (My building number is 415). Another 20 minutes elapses and I am beginning to get slightly peeved and I am also ravenous---the restaurant calls and the same pleasant man I spoke to initially says the guy is at your building and there's no one there and he can't find the bell. I live in a rather large place with a doorman and I know this is impossible, which I say. After a couple of minutes back and forth, I say "NEVER MIND" and goodnight.

The only bright side to this was that a half hour later I received a Grand Sichuan delivery of sichuan wonton soup and ma po tofu.

I think If I want to try Tebaya, I'll stroll by sometime and pick up the food.

After considerable negotiation, I think I've secured a dinner table at some French place for Mr. Olive

this is why scientific research is a bad thing

Not only is the book I'm proofreading now all desserts, and written in a terribly perky Southern voice, but the typesetter (or someone close) smokes so all the pages smell of cigarette. My eyes are burning like crazy.

I didn't even know I had an air-conditioning pump compressor, but it just burned itself to a nubbin, and I am not going to Napa and Stinson Beach today, after all.

I feel sickish.

Observing my barbarian of a neighbor lifting up his toddler so that the child could urinate in the laundry room sink. This was after I had offered to keep an eye on this asshole's stuff so that he could take his kid upstairs.

Just had the first flash of lightning and looooong roll of thunder. And my windows sound like they're going to blow in.

took very smelly trash out this morning and discovered the trash can had tipped over and disgusting things were scattered everywhere. a fine start to my morning.

Nice to get the lights fixed in my office. Nobody mentioned the thick carpet of dust and debris which would be left behind.

Walking all the way down to the mailbox in this dismal weather to collect nothing but a stack of crapmail. Not even a decent catalog.

Damn MUNI train sat in the tunnel for twenty minutes this morning without moving an inch (this after waiting over fifteen minutes for it to arrive in the first place). It's appalling how much worse MUNI has gotten since they recently raised fares and cut service.

why is this in the Sunday Styles section? Does anything about women automatically get put into the fashion section?

I would really appreciate if people would pay attention to my outgoing voicemail message. I'm pretty specific about the days I'm the office. And yet they persist on calling multiple times and getting annoyed that I haven't called them back.

People who don't know how to drive in snow, yet insist on doing so anyway – either at absurdly fast or ridiculously slow speeds.

Dean and Deluca.

None of the (3) people who helped me last night were particularly nice, one guy argued with me because he cut my pate too large, and the bread lady sold me a bread that is seriously stale. At their price point I definitely expect much better.

I broke my own rule: never buy baked goods at a farmers' market.

Bread Alone's breadsticks are totally blah. Not even dip-worthy.

I recently broke that rule, too: I bought a very disappointing trio of peanut butter cookies at USGM last Friday. They were so disappointing that I had to go home and bake a batch of my own, since I still wanted a peanut butter cookie.

There is one exception: Breezy Hill's saucer-sized gingersnaps are really good.

And Body & Soul's cookies are not bad for vegan, especially the hazelnut chocolate chip. I like their savory stuff too.

Mental note: do not do any favors for people you have not heard from in 2 years.

I clear my throat a couple of times in front of my grandmother (I had a cold last week, but it's pretty much gone), and now she's convinced I am about to succumb to a rather brutish strain of avian black lung. No, I don't want to call a doctor, no I don't want any medicine, no I don't think I will starve between now and a 5 pm dinner unless I eat some chopped liver.

I'd give anything to have my grandmother alive to bug the hell out of me.

Mostly she's pretty cute.